


Birds Bunnies and Bears, OH MY!

by OctagonsRule



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Other, The Manager (Five Nights at Freddy's)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 10:12:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9176428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OctagonsRule/pseuds/OctagonsRule
Summary: Hello! My name is Mike. Mike Schmidt. And I have just one big problem right now: I think I'm going insane.





	1. Its a Start

Hello, my name is Mike. Mike Schmidt. I'm about 30, live by myself, and do practically any legal job I can come across that people will hire me for. Which, aside from a few single dollars for dishwashing for 5 hours, you'd be surprised at how few jobs like that there actually are without a college degree. So much for 'land of opportunity', eh? Well, it could be worse. I could be mistaken for a homeless person, beaten up and almost thrown into a river whilst also being showed into a sack with jagged rocks and broken bricks. Again. Did I mention that I don't exactly have high standards when it comes to getting by? Because I don't. Because that just gets someone bigger and stronger and richer and better than you in every way in society's eyes ticked off at you somehow down the line and you end up almost thrown into a sack with broken rocks like an unwanted puppy. Did I mention that I have a tendency to repeat myself? Because yeah. That too. But back to the real reason I'm doing this. I... there's no easy way to put this, but, I think... that I might be going crazy. I can't sleep at night without hearing this weird laughter, feeling like I'm getting constricted by snakes made out of barbwire strings, stuck in pitch black nowhere. And when I apply to work at this place, I get looks like the people there already know me or something. It's freaking me out, since I've never even been to that part of town before, yet this one janitor asked me how I could keep coming back, week after week. Maybe I'm not crazy, but that would mean everyone else in that restaurant is, including the manager... And surprisingly, though I am okay with that, I kind of doubt that many people would be crazy about the same thing so consistently. Freaky as the people there can be, what's really kind of off-putting are the attractions. These weird animal things, some sort of robots or something. Animatronics, I think this one dopey sounding fella told me. Or was that a pamphlet? Why do I feel like that duck had cupcakes watching me? Ah, I'm just being paranoid- Oh yeah, I'm a paranoia fanatic, according to anyone with a medical degree who's had a session with me has concluded. Not really nice, but hey, at least it's consistent. Unlike my memory. I seem to forget things all the time, and with these nightmares as of late, maybe it's a good thing this new job is at night. I hear it's not as boring as staring at a tablet and trying not to play Angry Birds sounds on the surface. I start my job tomorrow, so here's to hoping those guys are right.


	2. I'm a Moron, How is this New?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its Mike's first night on the job and he's not ready.

(As a head's up, yes, this is in Mike's POV, just to be clear.)

I think this was a bad idea.

Not just an ' _oh, I forgot to grab my wallet'_ , or ' _gosh, the fridge was unplugged and all the food spoiled'_ bad, oh nononononononono **-NO**. This was on the level of ' _I forgot to lock the window and now my TV and microwave are gone'_ and reaching up higher still to ' _Why didn't I just say yes to that drink, now I'm stuck to the side of a building at one in the morning without a proper hangover to stop my heart from beating this fast'_.

...Yeah, I have had weird experiences in my life before. It comes from going to college and in the middle of the first year getting introduced to alcohol for the first time ever. If my memory problems weren't annoying before that, it's why they're near insufferable now.

Despite all the trouble being under the influence of clear liquid in a glass has given me before, however, I'd take it almost any day over this right now.

It's not even 2 in the morning yet and I'm hallucinating. Except I haven't taken anything to be the cause of these hallucinations, hence my pondering insanity being at fault and really, _really_ wanting a good few shots of vodka. Nothing knocks me out quicker more pleasantly, even if I do wake up lost in the middle of random hallways- often hospitals. Don't ask, I don't have a clue either.

Wait, wasn't I saying something before about my job? Oh! Hey, look at that! It's on the camera again! That's right! I'm utterly _terrified right now!_

So much for boring- when I said I wanted interesting, I didn't mean freaky living machines! And they keep trying to come over, almost as if to see me or something. Like heck that I'm risking that, with all the fiction I've come across in my lifetime! I know better than to let my guard down around stuff like these... whatever they are. I'm just lucky that I got the buttons down again after frantically pressing all of them at once the first few times.

I think it was the bunny that kept coming by, by the way the step sounded and the color, but it was really dark and hard to see. I'd turned down the lights to conserve power, and dimmed the tablet while hiding underneath the desk. Like I said before, a completely paranoid idiot that looks stupid. Well, a completely paranoid idiot that's gonna get through tonight by looking stupid, anyways.

The only reason I'm under the desk in the first place was because I caught sight of the- I'm sure it's the bunny now- the bunny's eyes last time I'd shut the door. Those red eyes...

Shivering from the cold- oh yeah, I'd cut the heat too, since that seemed to be giving a drain, and I had a long sleeve and pants outfit on anyways- I settled in my little crunch I'd compressed myself into to fit the small space meant for legs, not entire bodies. Letting out an exhale, I could pretty much see my own breath, something amusing amidst all the creepy stuff going down around me. If the rest of the week is _anything_ like tonight...

I realized that I was yawning when my jaw gave an alerting crack from the stretch. I could feel my eyes drooping, that I was slowly falling asleep, and couldn't do a thing about it with how my limbs were completely numb. Maybe I'd be safe, in my oh so clever hiding spot, I thought as I fell unconscious. Completely forgetting that if I wasn't awake, there was no one to press the buttons to close the door...


	3. A Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Not Mike's POV, trying something different this chapter. Tell me what you think.)

~~~ _Loud footfalls sound as the maker of the noise attempted to be quiet, echoing in the somewhat bare room. They peeked their head inside, looking around. A bit frustrated, but undeterred, when failing to spot what they looked for, they walked softly inside, managing for some reason to make less noise on the tile. Perhaps it was just from years of practice that made the checkered surface easier to creep upon out of instinct or habit._

_Whatever the case, they took to looking around, in corners and behind boxes that had obtained rather thick dust coats, almost like animals would in winter, only the dust never completely went away. Finally, they found what they were looking for. Or rather,_ who _. A pair of red eyes sparkled in excitement for a moment, pausing to take in just how helpless the person looked there, all curled up... And shivering. And drooling a little._

_But nonetheless, fairly adorable in how the tablet was cuddled like a stuffed animal, hat fallen down onto their knees and acting as a crude pillow. It wouldn't take much to get the human out of there, and all they needed to get was in the back. Large, purple-furred hands reached down, accompanied by a metallic, rusty creak-~~~_

 

"GAH! Wha- where-? Whua-!" Mike jolted upright, a chill going down his spine at the sudden awakening. Looking around, he spotted an impatient looking man standing right in front of him, tapping their foot. Their hand was still raised, giving him the impression of what had woken him up out of the deepest sleep he'd managed to get in _weeks_ , and why the left side of his jaw was sore.

Moving his torso up from the desk's surface to stretch, he felt and heard an array of cracks and clicks that all brought a tingly warmth with them. With a tired but conscious smile, Mike looked up at the man, leaning forward on his crossed arms as they pressed into the wood of the desk. "Yessir?" he slurred with a yawn he only realized to try and cover up midway.

The sigh of the manager was not a particularly encouraging one reassuring one to the new employee who had everything to lose. Namely, the pay he'd only get if he stayed the entire week.

"You wouldn't get up, and I needed to make sure that you were still-" the Manager suddenly cut himself off, eyes darting for a second, before regaining his composure. Mike, still out of it and half asleep, completely missed the unease and change of tone becoming forced, like one did when lying with a big smile. "Anyways, did you sleep the _entire night_ instead of working?"

"Oh, no sir!" Mike's focus picked up at the prospect of potentially losing his only job. It'd been the first break he'd gotten in too long, and if he couldn't maintain rent, or support his minimum as it was shopping necessities... "I just fell asleep, not 20 minutes ago, at most. Just got tired, not used to staying up this late is all!"

The manager gave Mike a sweep over with his eyes, being quick enough about it that the employee, who was steadily walking up more and more, didn't catch on. Aside from a deepening crease in his forehead that could have been due to agitation, worry, or any other number of things, he added curtly,

"Make sure that it's _only_ that long, Schmidt. And make sure to have that tablecloth washed before it gets used again."

Mike felt confused, blinking. "Wait, what tableclo-" but the man had already walked away, at a surprisingly quick and brisk pace, a door slam cutting the newbie off from his question. Feeling puzzled, Mike started to lean back onto his chair, when something bunched up behind him. As he turned to look back, a bunch of bright white and red grabbed him attention.

Draped over his shoulders was a red and white checkered tablecloth, just as his boss had mentioned. Mike didn't have a clue as to how it got on him- he hadn't left the room the entire night. He hadn't dared, not when-

Wait, how had he gotten out from under the desk? Last he recalled, he'd been cold, exhausted from being afraid for several hours straight and hyped up on adrenaline as a squirrel on marshmallows, and very numb from forcing himself into a tiny space in attempts to hide. Certainly not as comfortable as how he'd woken up as, in his chair and arms laid out over the desk, probably snoring again.

Confused and worried, Mike started to pull the tablecloth off of him, with minor difficulties as his muscles complained at their use so soon again. He got up with a groan, further stretching all 4 of his rather long limbs- or at least he'd always thought so- and when he rolled his head back to crack his neck some, he felt his hat slip off of his messy hair.

Turning around and bending down to pick it up, Mike also noticed that a folded piece of paper had been placed in his hat, peeking out from being displaced from the fall. Curious, he looked around to see if anyone was there, before unfolding it to see what it said.

His whole body stiffened, mind freezing in place before shooting off into what felt lie the past. As he stared at the paper, not reading what it said yet, a cold sensation gripped at his chest and throat. The lights seemed to flicker, though already dim as they were, and his breath was visible again.

Had he looked behind him, he would've seen a monster. A horrifying mass of metal and matted, rotting-away fur and degrading, somewhat exposed wire, with arms outstretched in an overhanging manner towards him. Jaw half-way unhinged, head angled and eyes void, pitch darkness held in circles that were unseeing and yet tracked everything that went on. It was almost glitch, in how it moved from solid, to see-through, to a mass of malevolent static in a basic outline of what it appeared to be. Transitioning almost too fast to see, a voice almost about to speak in his ear, when-

-the lights returned to normal, Mike blinked, a shiver traveling down his back from his shoulders as the strange, nauseating sensation passed him by, nothing recalled but some strange fear invoked. He shook his head cleared, and he paused, checking over his shoulder.

The monster was gone, like a ghost. Never seen, never heard, never there before it's already departed.

Giving a shrug, Mike chalked it up to his own paranoia again, and read the note. To his surprise and unease, it read, in a rough, hasty handwriting, having been folded multiple times, and off center for most times at that, 3 simple words:

" ** _Welcome Back, Mike._** "


	4. Friendly Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its not what it seems initially. Nothing here is.

Waiting, waiting, waiting, time couldn't GO any slower if it tried! He couldn't figure out what was taking the sun so long- come on! He wanted to go, he wanted to see what was going to happen! The clock was nearly broken-

Was it ticking? He couldn't hear it ticking. Maybe if he hit a few times-

"Would you cool it, already?"

The feminine voice knocked him out of his thoughts, bringing him back to the present. Turning around, he saw her, frowning.

"YOU try being calm when you have so little time before- You're one to talk!" he swung the conversation around in subject. "Always taking to cooking when you can't stand to wait for something! Not like your customers are coming out of the woodwork for that stuff you try and pass off as food!"

She looked stunned for a moment, before her blue eyes widened and blazed in anger.

"W-well YOU try being a chief with little to no variety in ingredients! This place isn't big enough to get enough income for me to stretch my legs in a different department, you know that!" she bit back, but started loosing significant steam. "I... I could try doing something else, but you and I BOTH know that that's just a road to failure and rejection again."

He knew alright. He'd botched his own job before to the point of it nearly being the end for him. He'd seen her try and end up almost the same way as him, but at least _she_ had the kitchen as an outlet.

As the world seemed to just move forward, he couldn't seem to keep pace, no matter how fast he could run. Like he was _always_ on stage, trying everything he could to keeping the best impression, but tiring too soon for anyone's liking.

First one job, then the next. Small things, little things, that slowly erode at his positivity and will. Even when he kept trying, it was likely that he'd last too much longer at this new gig and schedule that the last one he'd screwed up. The one he'd taken the blame of a friend for so she could keep going at her job, when really they just both got fired and she...

Shaking his head clear, he looked at the clock again, this time without muttering to himself, to the chief's smug delight.

It was closer now than before to when he'd have to go. He couldn't stop the strange excited/nervous sensation that played across his nerves, like a building melody of uncertainty and expectancy. It was jarring, yet somewhat pleasant, he reflected as he bid his friend goodnight and headed off.

It wasn't long before he was in his little room, and he sat down on one of the boxes with a sigh. Sure, maybe this wasn't going to e his night, but there'd be still others, surely?

' _I mean, if we've been able to string him along for such a long time, what would be the difference in tonight of all-'_

His thoughts were interrupted at the sound of creaking footsteps against the old floor, trying to be silent but unable to do so. Stiffening, he peeked out as discreetly as possible, knowing not to catch whatever-it-could-be's line of sight. Weapon ready- he knew it was against rules, but loopholes are marvelous for many reasons.

When he saw what- _who_ it was, however, he felt himself lock up, dread and confusion swirling through his head as the reality of the situation quickly hit hard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike looked around, feeling like he was being watched as the time till his shift slipped away. Clutching a folded piece of cloth- _the table cloth_. He called out timidly, "I-is anyone th-there? H-hello?"

Only to be met with silence holding more apprehension than he was aware from behind the curtains on the stage. Foxy silently gulped.


	5. You're Never On Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to Mike again, time for Round Two at Freddy's! (He is considerably less eager for excitement)

"Darn it! I'm late, I'm late, I'm LATE!" Mike half-muttered half-shouted as he bounded down the streets of the town, trying to get to the dinner before his shift officially started. Sure, he was supposed to get there at least 10 minutes early, but after the night HE'D had? Mike figured he could afford to take 5 of those 1 minutes off to prepare himself to face whatever weird stuff was going to happen _this time_.

However, what he hadn't planned for was falling asleep at the bar. For a good 4 hours straight he'd been out cold, only to wake up with a marker-stache and the remnants of his half-drunken drink either soaked into his hair or stained his shirt.

Mike, as you could've guessed, wasn't exactly too happy about the waste, and even less so about the mustache. Luckily, it wasn't sharpie like the last time he'd made the mistake of falling asleep somewhere other than his own place. It came off after practically slapping himself in the face with a towel over and over again after covering it with hand soap and cold tap water and rubbing so hard it left his skin tingly and red in the mirror.

Not fun, but not as bad as trying to get those sharpie tattoos off his arms those other 20 times he'd been drinking and suddenly woke up to find hours gone by.

He'd forgone the shower he'd been planning- not like there was anyone who'd be there to care what he looked like or smelled, instead only going back to his place via taxi to get that tablecloth he'd gotten cleaned.

Having no such luck on the way _to_ work, however, he'd tried just running there. So far it was working. The small benefits of an adrenaline rush, the little things you appreciate when the only reason you don't get fired is because you nearly break through the front door. Of course, also to only to trip on the rug and fall face first onto the lobby's floor.

Getting up slowly, he took a deep breath to calm himself down. First things first, he had to put the table cloth away.

He walked through the hall, glancing through the ajar doorways, getting a foreboding sense, but nothing strong enough to be heeded.

When he passed by one wall with a few old drawings on it, however, there was a chill like a breath of air went across the back of his neck. Mike stopped for a moment, looking around him for what it could've been. He didn't see anything in particular the first time, but just as he was about to move onwards what he'd just seen clicked.

There'd been a figure- _there'd been a_ **face** -

When he quickly turned around again, though, the figure and strange face was gone. Not a thing moved, save Mike as he felt uneasy and watched. _'Maybe THIS is what those robot-things feel like with the cameras and everything_...' he considered as he went on his way, stil checking over his shoulder every now and again.

It was easy, finding the place he wanted to go. "Pirate's...Cove?" he questioned to himself, wondering what the heck a 'cove' was, before shrugging it off and started to open the door.

 

~~~

_First night on the job, might as well check out the place. Not like there was any danger. Whatever that dumb recording was blabbing about probably just went on about fire hazards and boring security stuff. Like locking all the windows and doors after hours or something basic like that._

_I'd only ever forgotten to do that -what, once?- at home, no problem. Besides, I was HUNGRY! And this was the quickest way to the kitchen, if I remembered that tour right._

_There was some sort of crashing sounds going on back in the office, but it was probably just a raccoon or rat or something. Animals got into the buildings around my place all the time, no matter how advanced the lock, so the idea wasn't that implausible._

_Whatever, I don't care. Food, NOW._

_This 'Cove' place didn't look half bad, though that bear thing was a bit weird. But it was just some attraction, nothing to worry about._

_Hey, the fridge WAS stocked! Sweet, a score! Even though it was mainly frozen pizza... eh, I've eaten worse. And worse frozen food._

_The oven would take too long to heat up, so I just thawed it a bit on the counter before finding a dull knife that was sharp enough to hack off a wobbly piece._

_I just hit it a few time on the corner of the counter to assure that it wasn't hard enough to break a tooth before taking it back outside to eat it. I noticed that the bear was gone- huh, even_ weirder _. There were some faint noises, like yelling happening waaay on the other side of the restaurant._

_...maybe I SHOULD check that out... AFTER I finished this slice, though. I can barely focus on anything else. Just as I was closing my eyes, taking a bit of the food I wanted so badly, I saw something out of the corner of my eye._

_Did- did the curtain just_ move _?_

_I don't get to know, suddenly feeling like the world was turned upside-down, ears ringing. The last thing I see being something red and_ _**yellow eyes** _ **-**

**~~~~**

 

Mike gasped, feeling himself shiver as a cold fear washed over him. His exposed arms were covered in goosebumps, and a prickling sensation played across his spine.

" _Wha..._ What WAS that?!" he panted, taking a step back. His head ached, and he had the sense like he was spinning even as he shakily stood still. Leaning himself against the wall, he counted slowly until he could think straight and wasn't about to fall over from dizziness. Mike waited another minute, the clock ticking away somewhere in the building sounding loud against the silence; before pushing off the wall and going through the doors.

'Whatever _that_ was, it can wait till later. I've gotta get this put away before I can get to my office,' he thought, as he tried to locate a place he could put it away. He tried treading quietly, taking in the dimly lit room, save for the stage, which cast long shadows from the bases of the chairs and tables.

He could've sworn that he saw _something_ flicker about, something thin and small, but it was gone before he'd gotten a full glance-worth. Shrugging it off as best as he could, Mike heard the sound of wood and metal creaking. Chills playing down his spin as hundreds of unrealistic possibilities began building up in his head, he decided to see if anyone was there. Better to know that something dangerous is actually there instead of always waiting for the knife to drop when it might not even be there at all.

"I-is anyone th-there? H-Hello?"

He bit his lip in frustration, his voice coming out a lot more timid and afraid than he's wanted, but what was done was done. It even had the desired result: No response.

Just as he was about to let out a sigh of relief at his fears being proven unfounded and pointless, something caught the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he saw the bottom of the richly crimson curtain shift a bit back and forth. Looking up a little further, he could see an eye peeking out of a tiny hole in the fabric, staring right back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Yellow and Red  
> The Nights Aren't Yet At Their End  
> Time Slows for Us to Spend  
> Tread Carefully Friend  
> Don't Want You DEAD  
> After All~'
> 
> AN: Hope you enjoy the story! Here's a cryptic rhyme for your time, and yes, it will become relevant to these events. Feedback wanted and welcome!


End file.
